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Open Letter to American Figure Skater Johnny Weir

January 20, 2010 | Fur

Dear Johnny Weir,

Johnny Weir

A recent New York Times article discussed your quest for the gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics.

The author mentioned your outfit had a "touch of fox" on the shoulders, and, despite your third place showing at the United States Figure Skating Championships on Sunday, you thought your outfit "looked pretty."

Please consider that there's nothing pretty about the fox that suffered and died to trim your outfit. The beautiful fox was likely anally electrocuted, or may have had its head bashed in, only to serve as decoration for someone's performance.

If you buy fur, no matter what size piece, or which animal it comes from, you're supporting an industry that has no respect for animals.

You say that you want to bring an "artistic style" to the Olympics, stating that "everyone can do jumps." But, as past Olympic champions have shown us, style isn't everything. In addition to skill, you must also have a sense of decorum in order to bring home the gold. And projecting a conscientious view of the planet's animals is a starting point.

While you may believe that wearing fur is a "personal choice," kindly know that the animals you wear had no such choice. The fur doesn't magically slide off these beautiful beings. Their nightmare begins in the cramped cages they spend their lives in, where they are forced to lay in their own feces, and ends with first cut in their anuses. Or maybe some animals you wear were caught in leghold traps, and struggled in vain to gnaw off their legs? Either way, there is nothing glamorous or pretty about the cruelty they endured. And it can't be morally justified either.

Friends of Animals urges you, for the sake of humanity, your Olympic ambitions and the hopes of all Americans this winter, to stop wearing the skins of animals. Instead, wow the judges with amazing performances. In the end, nobody cares what a figure skater wears. You will only be judged on your performance and the strength of your character.

Comments

Submitted by Leno Sislin on Wed, 2010-01-20 13:30

WHAT A GREAT LETTER!!!!
ONE THOUSAND PERCENT IN AGREEMENT WITH EVERYTHING YOU SAY IN IT!!!
THANK YOU FOR WRITING IT AND I HOPE IT CAN BE PUBLISHED MORE WIDELY, SO THE PUBLIC WILL KNOW!
AGAIN, THANK YOU.......

I am pleased for this letter, and feel the public should do the same. I do not want Mr. Weir representing the US in any international competition or public performace. His ignorance, foolishness and conceit on the issue of fur should not stand as what we want in our sports figures. This man needs some serious education, and he needs to put some thought into what the consequences of his choices can be.

Whenever I see someone wearing fur; I do not think they are being stylish. I instead think they are either ignorant (in the case they have no idea fur comes from an animal that was killed for their fashion)or possibly mean and cruel (if they know how tortured the animals death was for the fur and don't care).

This proves that just because a goal has been met, (performing at the Olympics) one's consciousness does not necessarily go hand in hand. I applaud this letter and only hope there is a guarantee that this unenlightened skater sees it.
With all the respect for the work you are doing.
David Sessions

This is as bad as Phelps smoking grass. What an idiot thing to do. But this involves a living being who has pain and fear even though "they're just animals". I'd save an animal well before I'd save a human being........

I'm not a vegan, but I am thinking about becoming one. I am almost 16 years old and I have a strong love for animals. I want to become a veterinarian when I am older and graduate high school. I have a teacher at school and her name is Mrs. Kinsley; I look up to her because she is a vegan and she strongly believes in what she's doing to save animals. I'm glad that finally there are more people who want to make a difference in this world. I used to love meat so much I would not even over think eating it, but now I think: What if that was my dog or cat? The same goes for anything now and everytime I eat meat I can't think too much about it because it is too sickening. I hope that this helps people to better understand what they are causing and that animals should not have to suffer because we want them to be our food, clothes, etc. If they did that to us, we would be furious.... think about how they feel.

I'm not sure I can be quite as polite as most on here. This scumbag doesn't deserve to win anything for the lives he takes and so proudly displays, and then gloats that he hates animals. He obviously hasn't got a soul or a heart, and quite frankly he will probably get boo'd when he goes out on the ice, because what people will see is a pathetic maggot who thinks he is better than the lives he helped take away for his sad vanity!
He might as well have held the knife or the electric prod and ripped their skin off himself!! But you know what? He wouldn't have the guts! I won't be watching and will never support him or others like him!